Pallets have been used for many years in connection with the storing, shipment, and handling of goods. Pallets are normally constructed of wood and are subject to damage because of the rough handling they receive. Therefore it is necessary to periodically inspect pallets so that damaged pallets can be segregated for repair or disposal.
Various systems have been developed to automate pallet-sorting operations and therefore keep sorting time to a minimum. Such automated sorting operations often utilize a so-called “up-ender,” which typically comprises a substantially L-shaped member that is tiltable from an “up” position in which the long side of the member is upright and a “down” position in which the long side is horizontally disposed. An upright stack of pallets (i.e., a stack of horizontally oriented pallets, stacked on top of each other) to be sorted is received by the up-ender when it is in the up position. The up-ender is then pivoted downwardly approximately 90° to the down position to vertically orient the pallets (i.e., so that the pallets are supported on edge). In this position, pallets are individually removed from the end of the stack and sorted into acceptable, repairable, and nonrepairable pallet groups.
Another example of an automated pallet-handling apparatus is illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 6,079,939, assigned to the assignee of the subject application. The apparatus of the '939 patent includes a mechanism for automatically indexing a stack of vertically oriented pallets along a conveyor. As a pallet reaches the end of the conveyor and after a pause sufficient to enable an operator to observe the exposed face of the pallet, the pallet is pushed off the conveyor onto a catch plate. The pallet's forward motion and the inclination of the catch plate causes the pallet to tilt forward onto an off-bearing conveyor, thereby exposing the opposite face of the pallet for inspection by the operator. The operator can then direct the pallet to the appropriate area (e.g., to an acceptable pallet stack, a repairable pallet stack, or a nonrepairable pallet stack).
Despite the inventions discussed above, there exists a continuing need for new and improved systems for handling pallets.